Stalker Problems - Chapter 29 - Jerkface
Tanner’s office was just a few blocks away from BIMG.
I didn’t even bother to get an Uber over.
I thought walking might give me more time to compose myself.
To think of a nice, calm way to approach him.
It had the opposite effect. Walking in heels through the unseasonably warm weather coupled with the stench of trash day in the city just made my blood boil even more.
All I managed to do was come up with curse words that I hadn’t even known existed. All of them described Tanner perfectly.
Was Tanner banging her? That would explain why he had fled so quickly last night. I had probably broken some unwritten rule of the billionaires’ make-out handbook. Was that a thing? If it was, I bet Steve Forbes didn’t have a copy. #SickBurn. I was on fire with these hashtags recently.
Either way, it didn’t matter if Tanner was banging Miss Roman Villa.
Because I was freaking done with Tanner and his bullshit.
I no longer took shit from any man. Ever.
He was just playing some sick game that I wanted no part of.
Stupid dirty stalker. I was just here to get him to sign that contract so that my friends didn’t get fired.
“How may I help you?” asked the receptionist.
“I’m here to see Tanner.”
“Is Mr. Rhodes expecting you?”
“He should be.” Biotch.
She cocked her head to the side in a look of confusion. “Does that mean you have an appointment, or…?”
“Yup. I’ll show myself back.” I walked around the giant granite desk.
“You can’t go back there without an appointment!” she called after me.
A few of his employees looked up at me as I snaked through the maze of cubicles.
I had never been here before, but I knew that he’d be in the corner office.
All fancy executives have fancy corner offices.
Cookie-cutter lameazoids. Evie Martin - the blonde from all his pictures - tried to stop me at his door, but I ignored her and stormed into Tanner’s office.
“What the hell is your problem?” I demanded.
He was pacing by the window. He looked up when I came in. Surprise, or maybe fear, crossed his face for a second. He kicked off his shoes, which appeared to be elf-like Crocs, and then casually leaned on his desk as if he hadn’t just done anything weird.
“I’m sorry, sir,” said Evie. “I couldn’t stop her. Should I call security?”
He waved her off. “That won’t be necessary. Right…Amanda?”
“Amanda?” He was really pretending to not know my name now?
Was he fucking kidding me? All those curse words I had crafted on the way over here leapt to the tip of my tongue.
But I had more restraint than I realized, because I swallowed them back down.
“So that’s how you’re going to play this?
Like you don’t know who I am?” You asshattery!
He snapped his fingers. “Oh, right. You’re from BIMG. The one who bumped her head on the table.”
“Ash. Not Amanda.”
“Ah, my apologies Ash. Evie, please give us a few minutes.”
She ducked out of his office.
“I know you’re Ryder,” I said the second the door was closed.
“Ryder?” he asked.
“Yes. Ryder Storm.” I narrowed my eyes at him, hoping it would scare him into a confession. It did not.
“I don’t know who that is, but it’s not me.”
I decided to take a different approach. “Why’d you kill the deal with BIMG?”
“Another firm gave us a more attractive offer,” he said matter-of-factly.
“And why’d you send me all those shoes if you were just going to have me thrown out of the Society for rape?” I lowered my voice when I said “rape,” but it still hung in the air awkwardly between us.
“Shoes? Society? Rape? Ashley, have you been drinking?”
“No I haven’t been drinking!” You stupid waffle stomper! God, he was infuriating. I needed some way to prove that he was Ryder. The first thought that came to mind was to tear his glasses off, pull his hair into a bun, and force him to change into a colorful suit.
Or what if I was wrong? Oh my God. I had done it again. What was up with me thinking that every hot guy I met was part of the Society? First I’d raped Dr. Lyons, now I’d torpedoed my career. No, not just my career. Chastity’s career. And Madison’s.
“I’m so sorry,” I muttered. “I must have you confused with someone else.”
“Who is he? Is he part of this sex club you mentioned?”
“Yeah, he…wait a second! I never said the Society was a sex club.”
For a second - the briefest of moments - his eyes grew wide with guilt. It was hardly noticeable. But I saw it. I was sure of it. I had caught him. “Sure you did,” he said, glancing down at his phone to avoid looking me in the eye.
“No. I said that you had me thrown out of the Society for rape.”
“Right. And everyone knows that the Society is a super exclusive sex club.”
“Then why would rape get me thrown out? You sound like an idiot, you know.” Was that too harsh? I cringed. At least I hadn’t called him a shiteatery.
“Uh…you still aren’t allowed to rape someone at a sex club. It all has to be consensual.” He cleared his throat and set his phone back down. “So I’ve heard.”
“Nope. I caught you. I knew it was you.” And then I realized exactly how I could prove he was Ryder. I snatched his phone off his desk and opened his gallery.
“Stealing my phone isn’t going to help anything.”
“It will when I find that topless photo of me that you took.”
“Topless photo, huh? Are you trying to trap me with some sort of sexual harassment lawsuit now?”
“No, I’m trying to prove…” I stopped talking and focused on scrolling through his gallery. But there wasn’t much. Just scans of important-looking documents and photos of him shaking hands with fancy people in suits. There definitely weren’t any pictures of me.
“Any luck finding that photo?” he asked. There was a hint of amusement in his voice.
“No. But I know it’s on here somewhere. Probably hidden…” Hidden! Of course. I knew how to prove he was in the Society. I opened his apps and scrolled through until I found one labeled Tax Codes . I clicked it.
Welcome, Ryder Storm!
Last Spa Visit - April 13
Last STD Test - April 13, Clean
“Boom. You’re Ryder Storm. Read it and weep, punk.” I started to turn the phone so he could see it, but his hand closed around mine on the phone. His other caressed my jawline, tipping my face up towards his.
We locked eyes. I could feel his desire again. It was the same as it had been the previous night. He was ravenous. And he wanted to feast on me.
I went on my tiptoes as he bent down to kiss me.
Our lips crashed together. I let out a gasp, but it was lost in his mouth.
The phone in our hands was forgotten. One of us tossed it onto his desk and then his hand slid around my waist. I melted into him as his soft lips pressed against mine.
And then I felt his tongue. It was the gentlest of flicks, sending a shiver all the way down to my toes. Or maybe only half the way…
Tanner lifted me off the ground with one arm and sat me on his desk, never breaking our kiss.
My skirt rode up practically to my hips as my legs spread around him.
I allowed my hands to wander to his muscular chest. God, he was so strong.
Was it safe to unbutton his shirt? Or better yet, tear it off of him?
I wanted to so badly. But I thought better of it.
Touching him could have been what set him off on our last date.
He, however, was not at all afraid to touch me.
His fingers slid under the hem of my skirt, digging into my flesh.
I moaned as our tongues fought for control.
Even in our kiss we were still sparring.
It was like he was furious with me, when really I was the one that was furious with him.
With one swing of his arm, he cleared his desk of everything. Papers, his phone, framed pictures, one of those little perpetual motion machines…it all crashed to the floor. He deepened the kiss and pinned me to the desk. I could feel his manhood pressing against me. “Yes,” I moaned.
I reached for the buttons of his shirt, but his hands caught my wrists and slammed them back down. I was helpless against his strength. And I loved it. I bit at his bottom lip, stopping just before I might draw blood. I could hear him growl as he grew even harder.
And then a knock on his office door broke the spell. He pulled away and smoothed his suit jacket. I got up and yanked my skirt back into place (kind of…) just as his door swung open.
“Tanner, is everything…” Evie stopped mid-sentence and let out a gasp. “Good heavens! What happened in here?”
You cock blocked me!
“I think it was an earthquake,” said Tanner with no hint of sarcasm. The lie rolled off his lips effortlessly. Which made sense given how much practice he had being a filthy rotten liar, always switching between being Tanner Rhodes and Ryder Storm.
“I didn’t feel anything,” said Evie.
“Weird.” Tanner shrugged. “Anyway, we’re fine in here. In fact, we were just about finished.”
What? “Actually, we need a few more minutes,” I said. He wasn’t getting rid of me that fast again.
Evie looked to Tanner for approval.
“Give us two minutes,” he conceded.
She disappeared.
I smiled at him with a smug grin on my face. I had won. I had gotten what I wanted. And he had all but admitted that he was Ryder. “So does this mean you’re going to sign with BIMG after all, Ryder ?”
“Shhh,” he hissed. “What are you trying to do?” He glared at me.
“What am I trying to do? I don’t know…have a relationship? After all, isn’t the Society about true love? That’s what you said.”
He shook his head. “You’re messing with things you don’t understand.”
“Then make me understand.”
“I can’t.” His Adam’s apple rose and fell as he stared at me. “You should go.”
“Are you serious right now?” What the actual fuck?
“I never should have kissed you. I’m sorry.” His eyes dropped to my lips. “I’m so sorry.”
“What’s your problem? Why do you keep kissing me and then pulling away? Am I really that repulsive?”
He looked hurt that I would even suggest that. “What? No. No. If anything it’s the exact opposite.”
“How so?”
“It’s complicated. Like I said, you wouldn’t understand.”
“Try me.”
“No.” His voice was so firm that I almost backed off. Almost.
“Are you a born-again virgin or something?” I asked. “If you are, just tell me and we can take things slow.”
“Uh, yeah. Yes.” He nodded enthusiastically. “Definitely. I’m that.”
“You’re lying.”
He sighed. “Fine. You want to know the truth?”
“Yes. Have I not made that clear?” Cockhat .
“I pissed off some very dangerous people. Us being together would put you in grave danger, and I’m not willing to risk that.”
“Aren’t you like…a billionaire? Just give them a couple million and tell them to leave you alone.”
“These people don’t care about money.”
“Have you thought about going to the police?”
“The police would be useless. And even if they could help, it’s out of their jurisdiction.”
I knew what that meant. That it had crossed state lines. Only the FBI could help him, and from what I’d read in countless crime novels…the FBI usually screwed everything up when they got involved. They were basically dumb babies. “Jesus. Did you piss off a Mexican cartel or something?”
“Pretty much.”
Pretty much? That was not an actual answer.
I could feel my blood boiling again. He was clearly lying to me.
I was going to keep arguing with him, but then I remembered Frankie’s advice.
Men want what they can’t have. I needed to keep playing hard to get.
“So you’re trying to purge me from your life because you’re worried your enemies will see us together and kidnap me to hurt you? ”
“More or less.”
More or less my ass. “Well, you have nothing to worry about then. Because I’m not interested in you. So sign the BIMG contract and withdraw your rape accusation. From now on, our relationship is strictly business. Good day, sir.” I spun dramatically on my heel and walked out of his office.